Privacy Policy
Last Updated: November 3, 2025
Our Privacy-First Approach
CiteForge is built with your privacy as the top priority. We believe your citation data is yours alone, and we've designed our application to keep it that way.
Data Collection & Storage
What We DON'T Collect
- No user accounts - We do not require registration or login
- No server-side user data - Your citations never leave your device
- No tracking of your sources - We don't know what you're citing
- No personally identifiable information (PII) - We collect nothing that identifies you
What We DO Store (Locally Only)
- Citation data - Stored in your browser's IndexedDB
- Citation history - Last 500 citations kept locally
- User preferences - Format preferences, stored in browser localStorage
Important: All data is stored exclusively in your browser. No server-side storage or backups exist. You can manually clear your data at any time from the Bibliography page.
Third-Party Services
Analytics
We use Ahrefs Web Analytics to understand aggregate site usage (page views, referrers, general location). This service does NOT track individual users or create user profiles. Data collected:
- Page URLs visited
- Referrer information
- General geographic location (country/region level)
- Browser type and device type
This data is anonymized and cannot be tied to individual users.
External APIs (Metadata Fetching)
When you paste a URL, DOI, or ISBN for automatic citation generation, we make server-side requests to fetch public metadata. Sources queried:
- Crossref API (for DOI lookups) - Public academic metadata
- Open Library API (for ISBN lookups) - Public book metadata
- Web scraping (for URL metadata) - We fetch the public webpage you provided
No personal data is sent to these services. These are READ-ONLY operations.
Your Rights & Control
You Can:
- ✅ Use CiteForge completely anonymously
- ✅ Clear all local data at any time
- ✅ Use the app offline (after first load)
- ✅ Export your citations as JSON backups
- ✅ Use without accepting cookies
We Cannot:
- ❌ Access your citation data
- ❌ Recover lost citations
- ❌ See what sources you're citing
- ❌ Link citations to your identity
Data Security
Since all data is stored locally in your browser, your browser is responsible for data security. We recommend:
- Use device-level encryption (FileVault, BitLocker) if needed
- Log out of shared computers and clear browsing data
- Consider using Private/Incognito mode on shared devices
Compliance
- GDPR Compliant - No personal data collection means no GDPR obligations
- CCPA Compliant - We don't sell data (we don't have data to sell)
- COPPA Compliant - Safe for users under 13 (no data collection)
Summary: Your citations stay in your browser. We see nothing. You control everything.
If you have privacy questions or concerns, please contact us through our About page.